Agencies
he Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML) will change 14 bus routes on Thursday, due to the statewide protests by the Maratha community that will be held across the city and district. Hundreds of Maratha agitators from the city and its outskirts are expected to gather at the Pune district collectorate for a sit-in protest to demand reservation for Marathas in government jobs and education.

The transport body has also decided to stop its service on some routes, as protesters had damaged public buses when the agitation had turned violent in Chakan on July 30.
The changes have been made on at least 14 routes, including Pune to Nashik Road, Nigdi to Chakan, MIDC Wadgaon, Chakan Road, Pune-Mumbai Road till Dehu village, Kamshet, Wadgaon and Kivle, Paud Road, Sinhagad Road after Wadgaon Dhayari, Mandvi Bahul Road till Warje Malwadi, Pune Satara road from Kondhanpur, Nasrapur, Hadapsar-Saswad Road after Fursungi, Pune-Solapur road after Shevalwadi, Pune-Ahmednagar Road after Wagholi, Hadapsar-Wagholi Road and Alandi to Markal Road via Wagholi.

Commuters can call the PMPML control room, at 020-24503206, to seek information about the changed routes. Bus services will return to normal once the protests are over.

Meanwhile, the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) has asked all its divisions to be alert and issued a set of guidelines, which include seeking adequate police security for the security of its buses, bus depots and other infrastructure. A letter issued by the MSRTC general manager, traffic, has also asked officials to set up control rooms at the division level and pass on all crucial information during the agitation.

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The guidelines state that if any bus is damaged or set on fire during the agitation, MSRTC staffers should try to capture the incident on video. The Corporation also asked the staffers to be cautious and take necessary steps for the security of passengers, and inform police in case a suspicious person or activity is spotted during the agitation.

The state transport body has also cancelled the leave of all staffers and officials, except those who are on leave due to an emergency. The MSRTC’s headquarter in Mumbai will collect information from various centres about the Maratha agitation from across the state every two hours.